Follett Press Releases

Follett Challenge Unveils Semifinalists, Video Winners

New York, Pennsylvania, Alaska schools in top 3; winner to be announced April 26

A first-ever finalist from the state of Alaska highlighted today’s video announcement of the three semifinalists and 10 People’s Choice Awards in the Follett Challenge. Sponsored by Follett, the fifth annual Follett Challenge will reward $200,000 in Follett products and services to the most innovative K-12 programs teaching 21st-century skills to students.

This year’s three semifinalists – singled out by elementary, middle and high schools – are:

From the three semifinalists, a grand-prize winner will be selected and announced April 26. The overall winner will earn a $60,000 prize in Follett products and services, plus a celebration at their school. The other two semifinalists each will earn $30,000 in products and services.

The video announcement also revealed the 10 People’s Choice winners– those schools whose video submissions received the highest number of online votes from the public. Each of the winning schools earns $8,000 in Follett products and services. The top 10 are:

Griswold Elementary was the top vote getter with 5,242; Marist High was second with 4,081.

“As I reflect on the winning programs we’ve seen over the past five years since we started the Follett Challenge, it’s fascinating how innovation has evolved,” said Britten Follett, vice president of marketing for Follett School Solutions, who has spearheaded the Follett Challenge since its debut. “Teachers and librarians are consistently amazing me by showcasing new ways of reaching students in our ever-changing world. Whether it’s through gamification, reading contests, makerspaces, or service learning programs, the Follett Challenge has awarded some of the most forward-thinking programs in the country.”

For more than 140 years, Follett has been a trusted partner to pre-K and K-12 schools, districts, and college campuses, taking care of the critical details that make it easier for schools to run, teachers to teach and students to learn. Every day, Follett serves over half of the students in the United States, and works with 70,000 schools as a leading provider of education technology, services and print and digital content. Follett is higher education's largest campus retailer and a hub for school spirit and community, operating more than 1,200 local campus stores and 1,600 virtual stores across the continent. Headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, Follett is a $2.6 billion privately held company.

Follett is the largest provider of educational materials and technology solutions to PreK-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers and school districts in the United States, and a major supplier to educational institutions worldwide. Follett distributes books, reference materials, digital resources, ebooks and audiovisual materials, as well as pre-owned textbooks. Follett also is one of the leading providers of integrated educational technology for the management of physical and digital assets, the tracking, storing and analyzing of academic data, and digital learning environment tools for the classroom focusing on student achievement.